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[lilyteach]

This is my first time teaching a fully-online class, and I am very frustrated! I have about forty students enrolled in an eight-week, 4-credit class.

The amount of technology issues my students have had has surprised me. I probably get 10 emails a day with issues ranging from being unable to open assignments (everything is posted in both Word and PDF) to being unable to use the required software because of lost usernames/passwords.

Many students are one-two weeks behind because they can't keep up. It is a lot of work, but I already cut one assignment and shortened all the rest to take into account the shortened timeframe, but I'm thinking of cutting another whole essay because I fear mutiny.

I feel like I have good instructions (both screenshots with directions AND screen recordings), but they always seem completely lost and ask questions that could easily be answered had they read/listened to the instructions. I also hold weekly (optional) workshops for some of the trickier assignments.

Of course, it isn't everyone--about 1/4 are completely on track, about 1/4 never showed to begin with, about 1/4 are the lost ones I'm talking about here, and 1/4 are somewhere in the middle.

I guess I don't know if this is par for the online course of if I should think about cutting something else. Any thoughts from someone who's been here?

[glowdart]

My opinions:

- Don't cut the assignment. 

- There are always flakes in online classes; the first two weeks bring them out of the woodwork.

- Send all tech issues to the IT department.  First, doublecheck and make sure that you haven't mistakenly hidden a file or set the permissions wrong, from a student view if you have that option, but then send them on their merry way to tech support -- especially if 1/4 of the class has managed to access the file. 

- Do you have a statistics screen?  See if students have been able to open the files that your flakes can't open.  If so, then the problem isn't with the file.  I got into a default mode where this was my first response to all complaints.  Sometimes, I had set the permissions wrong, but most of the time the students were using an unsupported browser, using a computer without the ability to open PDFs, submitting assignments in unrecognized formats, or generally using the wrong tech. 

- 1/4 excellent, 1/4 muddling along, 1/4 no-show and 1/4 utterly helpless sounds about right. 

- They might be behind, but I would not take late work from here on out.  If it were me, I would set an amnesty deadline and then start enforcing all of your deadlines and schedules.  Re-assess at the end of the semester for next year, but what you're describing sounds about normal for my experience and what my colleagues report, too.   

- Next year, you might want to give them some low-stakes "this is how you use the system" assignments during the first week (assuming you don't already have these.)  I also usually don't have any assignments (except for posts & discussions) due until the end of the second week so that they all have two weeks to get their acts together. 

Someone used the term Learned Helplessness on another thread; this might be what you are facing in your 1/4 of clueless. 

Good luck. 

[lilyteach]

Thanks, glowdart! I think the main problem is that our IT department isn't really set up to help students, so I have to deal with all tech issues, which is exhausting, and I'm spending a lot of time trying to help students figure out how to upload documents, etc., which is taking away from the content. I have video directions for almost everything, but they either can't open them, can't figure out how to play them, or can't be bothered.

I think I need to have a clearer technology statement in my syllabus or some kind of checklist of skills for the next time I teach online! Or perhaps more realistic expectations.

[fishprof]

hanks to you both.  I m about to start two on-line course in July.  It is nice to know what I can expect from the untech savvy.

[yatchie]

Do you have a computer lab or tutoring center that you can refer students to?  While I provide videos of how to navigate my course and detailed written instructions of how to sign up with the two CMSs I'm using, some students do lack the technical skills required for an online course.  However, I make it clear that technology related issues are not a valid reason for late assignments.  Instead I encourage them to start early and refer them to the on-campus computer lab/tutoring center for help. 

This seemed to work well the past few semesters.  Amazingly, 95% of my summer class signed up and submitted the first assignments by the second day of class with no major issues... fingers crossed that the rest of the summer goes that smoothly.

[zuzu_]

Coming late to this thread, but I suggest a prominently displayed FAQs section. Mine is invaluable. Sometimes, the answer to a question is a link to a demonstration video.

It sounds like you already have a lot of good stuff in place. Just look to build in a lot more reduncancy. That is key to staying sane in online courses.

[spork]

What others have said. In general, you are not responsible for solving technical problems, especially if you include a FAQ and/or instructional videos (in my case, I do neither, I refer everyone to the computer help desk).

You are teaching a summer course on a compressed schedule. You will always have a large proportion of dimwits in summer courses, and the problem is magnified online because students have the misperception that online will be easier than face to face. Don't be afraid to state that you are covering the same material that is covered in a 16 week semester, because that's the way it has to be. Then let the chips fall.

[larryc]

Suggestions:

Add a line to your syllabus: "As the instructor I am here to help you learn about Underwater Basketweaving. I am not however, a technology expert and and not the person to ask technical questions. If you have a technical question please do not email me, please post it to the "Tech Questions" discussion forum I have created on the BB website. Perhaps one of the students could answer it there. An by the way, I offer class participation points for helping fellow students!"

When you get emails asking you for tech help, give them a stock answer (which you will just copy and paste from your Word doc of stock answers): "Great question. Please post it on the 'Tech Questions' discussion board." The great thing is that half the time a student will answer them almost immediately with "Dude, the answer is on the second page of the syllabus! You know, the course syllabus?"

Is there really no kind of technology help desk at your university?

[changinggears]

Chime with larry on teaching students the value of being able to problem-solve and know how to find resources for themselves rather than relying on you.  I used a group collab website last semester to organize a collaborative group project.  I pointed the students to available resources and included a Resources list on the assignment handout.  But one student insisted on asking me to help him solve very simple problems.  Since I had redirected all emails from the class to the website we were using, the whole class could see his emails and someone would inevitably remind him of the resources available.  Then, he posted a question  about MovieMaker (an optional way of completing the project) that I did not know the answer to.  As I was about to direct him to Microsoft's support website (which I had forgot to include on the list of resources), another student posted the answer, explaining that they had run into the same problem and found the answer on YouTube. 

According to the Dept. of Labor, being able to problem-solve and resolve issues both independently and by knowing how to access the appropriate resources are two of the essential skills needed in any 21st century workplace.  I've made a resolution to start teaching my students the value of those two skills.  Next semester, I'm going to require that if they ask me a question, they tell me exactly which steps they went through to try to answer the question for themselves, including asking their peers for help.

[lilyteach]

We have a tech desk, but it is only staffed briefly during the week, and the student has to physically come in to get help, and they will only help with CMS issues (I actually had to show one of them how to download Adobe Reader so my student could open my PDFs). So it isn't very student friendly, and I ended up picking up the slack. I know I can't continue this way since I've nearly gone mad this summer.

LarryC--Some of this started happening on the discussion board, and one student became kind of a tech expert and helped many students. I'll definitely make the tech board a feature in future classes.

Changinggears--I just added a similar statement about telling me what steps they've done so far to my fall syllabus after having success with a pretty needy student who was emailing me multiple times a day. I'm also going to add a statement about how teaching them how to problem solve independently is part of my job (most of my students are first generation, first semester students).

Thanks! Only two more weeks left!

[fishprof]

<I am Reposting this from the teaching despair thread - it seems more appropriate here (someone please PM me if this is inapprpriate to the fora)>

I am having the most maddening time with my summer hybrid course students.  They were told (syllabus, announcements, in class) that they would need the free Quicktime viewer to watch the videos I post for class (mpeg-4).  So now, three weeks into class, I have a student who still has not watched ANY of the videos or lectures b/c she can't get her computer to play the files.  20+ emails back and forth to help with tech support, two trips to IT.  Still, nothing.

So, today she brings here computer to class.   I ask her if she has quicktime - she says yes, and shows me the icon.  Good.  Then she clicks on one of the problem files.....

Windows Media Player opens.  Then gives this message.
"Windows Media Player cannot open this file.  It is not a format the Windows Media Player recognizes".

Head....desk.


So I explain to the student that she needs to not only HAVE, Quicktime installed, but use it to open the file.  Fine, that one works.

Two minutes later, another file doesn't work.

Guess what the error message says.....go on, guess.

[changinggears]

. . . fishprof, the suspense is killing me . . . ;)

[fishprof]

It says.....

"You are too stupid to take an on-line course.  You cannot read even the simplest instruction and no amount of tech support will solve the problem, quit now".

Oh, sorry, that's the voice in my head....the error is, once again,
 
"Windows Media Player cannot open this file.  It is not a format the Windows Media Player recognizes".

And now, she wants an extension to complete the assignment....